The Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974 unleashed some 150 tornados across 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. It remains the most-violent outbreak ever recorded, with 30 tornados rating F4 or F5. (Note that an F5 tornado can have winds over 300 mph, making it a bit like stepping outside of an airborn jetliner.) 315 people died and over 5,000 people were injured. It was also the largest outbreak ever recorded, at least until 2011, when a three-day blast delivered 358 tornados in 21 states, killing 348 people. For sheer brutality, however, 1974 still reigns.Though don't expect it to reign for long. 2012 was a rough tornado season too (though softened a bit thanks to drought), and 2013--well, we'll know very soon. Climate change is writing the script for doomsday weather. Every temperature extreme can be expected to get worse as warming temps in the oceans lead to sharper temperature gradients between ocean-born air masses and land-based. Given that tornados are the children of sudden differences in air pressure and temperature, the future most likely involves a whole lot of basement hangs. Helmets and board games, kids.Anyhow, the U.S. government prepared this short documentary about the 1974 tornadoes and, for a combination or reasons, it winds up feeling more real than the extreme weather porn now commonplace on cable. Also, the helicopter footage is nuts.Reach this writer at michaelb@motherboard.tv or @everydayelk.
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